Removable attachment for a hand appliance for body care including coupling retaining means

ABSTRACT

The removable attachment has an elongated coupling section at the rear end thereof and a coupling retaining member slidably mounted thereon including an elastic flexible member with an inner detent at the rear free end thereof. The elongated coupling section and the flexible member have cooperating cam surfaces for moving the detent outwardly upon relative movement which increases the distance of the coupling retaining member from the front end of the attachment. Stop means limits the relative movement. The detent engages a detent member of the hand appliance when the attachment is coupled thereto. A slidable control member of the appliance prevents disengagement in the forward position thereof.

v United States Patent 1 Crippa 1 Dec. 3, 1 974 1 REMOVABLE ATTACHMENT FOR A HAND APPLIANCE FOR BODY CARE INCLUDING COUPLING RETAINING MEANS [75] lnventorz Jean-Pierre Crippa, Geneva,

Switzerland [73] Assignee: Les Produits Associes SA, Geneva,

- 1 Switzerland 22 Filed: Feb.23,1972- 211 Appl.N0.:'228,574

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 26, 1971 Switzerland ,2859/71 [52] US. Cl 403/322, 128/62 A, '32/26, a A i 285/315 [51] Int. Cl. F161) 7/00 [58] Field of Search 128/62 A, 66,229; 15/176, 15/22 R, l45; 287/119'R; 306/28;'279/80, 82, 78; 3 2/26; 285/315, 319; 403/321, 322

' [56] I 7 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 213,662 13/1879 Johnston et a1 32/26 3,256,031 6/1966 Fillweber 287/119 R 3,536,065 10/1970 Moret..... 3,686,896 8/1972 Rutter 287/119 R X Primary Examiner-Andrew V. Kundrat Attorney, Agent, or FI'rm- Pennie & Edmonds 5 7] ABSTRACT The removable attachment has an elongated coupling section at the rear end thereof and a coupling retaining member slidably mounted thereon including an elastic flexible member with an inner detent at the rear free end thereof. The elongated coupling section and the flexible member have cooperating cam surfaces for moving the detent outwardly upon relativemovement which increases the distance of the coupling retaining member from the front end of the attachment. Stop means limits the relative movement. The cletent engages a'detent member of the hand appliance when the attachment is coupled thereto. A

slidable control member of the appliance prevents disengagement in the forward position thereof.

7 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEL DEC 35974 l, 335L984 SEE NF 3 v PATENIELBEE 3M4 I 3.851.984

sum 30F 35 VIII-II 1 v REMOVABLE ATTACHMENT FOR A HAND APPLIANCE FOR BODY CARE INCLUDING COUPLING RETAINING MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION.

This invention relates to a removable attachment for ahand appliance for body care,'such as a toothbrushor water jet attachment, and particularly to coupling means for securely holding the attachment in place and allowing convenient removal thereof. Hand-held appliances for the care-of the body, especially for oral hygiene such as toothbrushes and water jets,'are well known. Usually separate toothbrush or water jet attachments are employed, thereby providing different users with their own personal attachments.

U;S. Pat.No. 3,536,065 describes a unitary hydraulically operated hand appliance capable of both toothbrush and waterjet operation by simply interchanging the appliance attachments. The'applianc'e includes' an hydraulic motor driven by liquid pressure pulses from a pump unit for'toothbrush operation, and a separate conduit actuable by a manual valve for supplying the pressure pulses to a water jet attachment. Simple means for coupling attachments to the hand appliance are described. t

U.S. application,-Ser. No. 1 17,466 filed Feb. 22, 1971 by Moret and Jousson also describes unitary hydraulically operated hand appliances usable with toothbrush, water jet and other types of attachments. Different arrangements for-coupling the attachments tothe hand appliance ared'escribed therein. These include attachments having an elongated coupling section for coupling with'the output member of the hand appliance, and spring arms with outwardly extending hook detents which engagein an annular groove in the hand appliance so as to lock the attachment to the appliance. To remove theattachment, the spring arms are pressed inwards to dis'engage the detents, and the attachment pu'Iled offTh e detent provision is especially useful for water jet operation, where the water pressure tends to force the attachment off the appliance, but may also be useful for toothbrush and other attachments'driven by the hydraulic motor. i Although such removal is a simple operation, some users may simply pullon the'attachment without depressing the spring arm or arms. In such case the hook detents may be broken off, or become sufficiently worn so that they no longer function properly.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a coupling which has detent means for retaining the attachment in place during usage, but which can be removed by simply pulling the attachment off with out damage to the detent means.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The attachment of the invention includes a body portion having a working head toward the front end thereof and an elongated coupling section at the rear end thereof. The working head may be a toothbrush head, a water jet outlet, etc. When attached, the elongated coupling section is coupled to the output member of the hand appliance for oscillation thereby, or for the supplying of water under pressure thereto, etc.

In accordance with'the invention, a coupling retaining member is slidably mounted on the elongated couplingsection of the attachment, and includes an elastic flexible member or spring arm extending longitudinally of the elongated coupling section with the rear end free of the coupling retaining member from the working head. Stop means are provided for limiting the relative movement.

During attachment, with the coupling retaining member in its forward position, the spring arm detent flexes over the appliance detent member and springs back into locking engagement therewith. For removal, the head of the attachment is pulled away from the hand appliance. The engagement of the detents keeps the coupling retaining member from initially moving with respect to the hand appliance, and the cam surfaces cooperate to move the spring arm detent outwards until it disengages, whereupon the whole attachment is released.

Preferably the hand appliance has a sliding control member at its front end which controls the operation of the appliance, and the control member is arranged to overlap the appliance detent member in spaced relationship. The inner surface of the control member and the outer surface of the spring arm of the attachment are advantageously designed so that the control member must be in its rear position in order to provide room for the detent end of the spring arm to reach its detent position, and the rear position is preferably an off position of the appliance. When the attachment is in place, the control member is pushed forward to overlap the detent end of the spring arm and prevents it from moving outward to a disengaged position. At the same time, the forward movement of the control member turns the appliance on.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates overall apparatus including a pump unit and hand appliance with a toothbrush attachment in place, and FIG. 1(a) illustrates rotation oscillation thereof;

FIG. 2 illustrates the hand appliance with a water jet attachment in place; v

FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of a removable toothbrush attachment with a coupling arrangement in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the toothbrush attachment, partly in cross-section, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3',

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-section of the front end of the hand appliance of FIG. I and the attachment of FIG. 3, with the coupling retaining member in disengaged position.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section similar to FIG. 5 with'the attachment in fully engaged position;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 with a water jet attachment in place; and

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-section of a modification of the coupling arrangement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, a pump unit generally designated as is shown, connected to a hand appliance generally designated as 11 by a flexible dual tube 12. The pump unit has a water reservoir 14 on top of the unit and the lower section 15 contains a pump and drive motor. Liquid pressure pulses are supplied through one tube to the hand appliance 11, and the other tube allows water to be returned from the hand appliance to the pump unit.

The hand appliance 11 may be designed in accordance with the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,065 or application Ser. No. 1 17,466 as a unitary device capable of both toothbrush and water jet operation by simply interchanging the appliance attachments. FIG. 1 shows a toothbrush attachment 16 in place and FIG. 2 shows a water jet attachment 17 in place.

The hand appliance 11 contains a reciprocating hydraulic piston motor (not shown) driven by pressure pulses from the pump unit. and a motion converter for producing rotational oscillation of the toothbrush attachment as indicated in FIG. 1(a). The hand appliance II also contains an internal conduit for supplying pressure pulses to the water jet device shown in FIG. 2. Valve means in appliance 11 provides for applying the pressure pulses to either the hydraulic motor or internal conduit, under control of a slidable control member 18. In the arrangement specifically shown the forward position of control member 18 is for water jet operation, and an intermediate position is for toothbrush operation. Member 18 also has a rear position in which the supply tube is connected to the return tube so as to return the water to the pump unit without operating the hydraulic motor or water jet.

Referring to FIG. 3 the rear portion of the toothbrush attachment 16 is shown. This comprises a body portion 21 with the working head toward the front end thereof and an elongated coupling section 22 at the rear end thereof. The coupling section 22 is designed to cooperate with an output member in the hand appliance, as will be described later. As here shown, the coupling section includes a cylindrical opening 23 and an inner rectangular section 24 for positively oscillating the attachment.

A coupling retaining member 25 is slidably mounted on the elongated section 22 and includes a spring arm 26 with a detent 27 in the form of a hook on the rear free end thereof. Advantageously member 25 is of plastic and spring arm 26 is dimensioned to be elastically flexible so that the rear end 27 is free to move outwardly from the elongated section 22. An opening 28 in member 25 allows outward movement of the spring arm Cooperating cam surfaces 31 and 32 are provided on the elongated coupling section 22 and the spring arm 26 respectively. In the forward position of the coupling retaining member 25 shown in FIG. 3, the detent end 27 of the spring arm is in its innermost position. However, when member 25 is moved rearwards of the body portion 21, the cam surfaces move the detent end 27 outwards. as shown in FIG. 5.

Stop means are provided for limiting the relative movement of the coupling retaining member and the body portion of the attachment. As here shown. an outward projection 33 on the body portion is positioned in recess 34 of the spring arm 26. In FIG. 3 projection 33 abuts the rear end of recess 34, thereby limiting forward movement of the retaining member 25 on the body portion 21. FIG. 5 shows projection 33 engaging the other end of recess 34 to limit rearward movement of member 25. If desired abutment of member 25 against shoulder 35 of the body portion, as shown in FIG. 3, could be relied upon for limiting movement in that direction.

Referring to FIGS. 5-7, the front end of a hand appliance is shown which is similar to that shown in FIGS. 14-16 of the aforesaid application Ser. No. ll7.466. except for the coupling arrangement. Briefly. casing 41 has a cylindrical member 42 and a bearing 43 fixedly mounted therein. Sleeve 44 is rotationally oscillated by an hydraulic piston motor and motion converter in the rear portion of the appliance. Attached to the sleeve is output member 45 having a cylindrical inner section 45' anda front section 45" which is square in crosssection so as to drive a toothbrush or other attachment requiring rotational oscillation. For water jet operation, water pulses are supplied through a conduit in the rear portion of the appliance to the inside of sleeve 44 and thence to a central passage 46 in the output member 45.

Control member 18 is ring-shaped and attached to a slidable sleeve 47 which actuates valve means at the rear of the appliance. In the rear position of ring 18, shown in FIG. 5, the supply and return tubes of dual tube 12 (FIG. 1) are connected together, and the appliance is in its off condition. In the intermediate position of ring 18, shown in FIG. 6, the hydraulic motor is on but no water pulses are supplied to passage 46 in the output member. In the forward position of ring 18, shown in FIG. 7, the hydraulic motor is off and water pulses are supplied to passage 46 for water jet operation.

Referring back to FIG. 5, a detent member 48 is affixed to member 42 and has an annular groove 49 at its front end. The control ring 18 has axially spaced projections 51, 52 of different height on the inner surface thereof, the projections moving in a longitudinal groove 53 on the outer surface of the fixed cylindrical member 42.

FIG. 5 shows'a toothbrush attachment partly in place on the hand appliance, with the retaining detents out of engagement. Elongated section 22 of the attachment is coupled with the output member 45 of the hand appliance, but is somewhat forward of its final position.

During attachment, the coupling retaining member 25 is in its forward position in contact with the annular shoulder 35, as shown in FIG. 3. As will be evident, the detent head 27 of spring 26 will simply slip over the lip 50 of annular groove 49 and drop into detent engagement therewith. During attachment, control ring 18 should be in its rear position, thereby shutting off the hand appliance during the attaching.

When the attachment has been made, the control ring 18 is moved forward, as shown in FIG. 6. The dimensions of the attachment are selected so that, when the control ring 18 abuts retaining member 25, it is in its intermediate position for toothbrush operation. The elongated coupling section 22 is fully engaged with the output member 45 of the hand appliance and rotation oscillation of the toothbrush attachment takes place. Inward radial projection 51 overlays detent head 27 so as to prevent sufficient outward movement of the detent head to disengage from the detent member 48 on the appliance. Preferably there is a slight clearance be tween projection 51 and head 27, so as to allow free rotational oscillationof the head.

If control ring 18 were in the position shown in FIG. 6 when the attachment is pushed into position, the radial space between ridge 51 and lip 50 would be insufficient to allow the insertion of head 27, and member 18 must be moved back to its off position shown in FIG. 5 before the attachment can be made.

When it is desired to remove the attachment, control memberl8 is moved to its rear position shown in FIG. 5 and the attachment body 21 is simply withdrawn from the hand appliance. During withdrawal the coupling retaining member 25 will initially remain in the position shown in FIG. 6, because of the engagement of the detent sections. However, as thecam surfaces 31, 32

move relatively to each other, detent head 27 of the spring arm will be forced outward into the disengaged position shown in FIG. 5. Thus, the attachment can readily be removed.

Referring to FIG. 7, a water jet attachment is shown in position on the hand appliance. During attachment, control ring 18 willbe movedto its rearward position as shown in FIG. 5, and the attachment pushed into position in the manner already described. Then the control ring 18 is moved forward to its. operating position as shown in FIG. 7. For the jet attachment, spring arm 26 is made somewhat longer so that there is greater separation between the detent head 27 and the rear surface of member 25, thereby'allowing the control ring 18 to be moved to its forward position for jet operatiori; As will be noted, with the circular symmetry of groove 49, the water. jet can be manually rotated by the user, if desired, so that the jet can be directed to the desired location. I I

In the water jet attachment, the inner diameter of the elongated coupling section 22 is somewhat greater than in the toothbrush attachment, so that it is out of contact with the outer surface of output member 45. The outer diameterlof elongated section 22 matches the inner diameter of the detent member 48 and engages O-ring 54 which provides a seal against water leakage thereby. In the forward position of control ring 18, radial projection 52 registers with the detent head'27 and prevents disengagement of the detent surfaces. This is especially useful in the case of a water jet attachment, since the pressure of water tends to force the body portion 21 outwards, which would tend to disengage the detent surfaces. Also it prevents the inadvertent removal of the attachment by the user, without shutting off the water supply, since the spring arm cannot move freely in the radial direction until the control ring 18 is moved to its off position shown in FIG. 5.

In the case of toothbrush operation, preventing disengagement may not be necessary, since there is less tendency to force the attachment off the hand appliance. Thus projection 51 could be eliminated if desired.

To remove the water jet attachment, control ring 18 is moved to its rear position which turns off the water stream, and the'attachment removed as described in connection with FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 8, a modification of the means for 6 preventing disengagement of the detent surfaces during operation is shown; Here, the projections 51, 52 of the control ring 18 are eliminated so that the inner surface of the control ring is simply cylindrical. Spring arm 26 has an outward projection 55 on the detent head 27 Thus, when control ring 18 is moved to its forward position abutting retaining member 25, the inner surface thereof will be closely adjacent projection 55 and prevent disengagement thereof. If, during insertion, control ring 18 is in its central or forward positions, the space between its inner surface and the lip of the detent member 48 will be insufficient to allow detent head 27' to be pushed into position. Consequently the control member 18 will be pushed back. to its off position as the attachment is made.

The annular groove 49 allows manual rotation of the water jet attachment shown, while the rotational symmetry'of the inner surface of control ring 18 which overlaps the detent end 27' prevents disengagement of the overlapping detent hook from lip 50 of the detent member of the hand appliance.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8, as well as in the preceding embodiments, the spring arm 26 is located between the walls of a longitudinally extending slot in the coupling retaining member 25 which is open to the elongated coupling member 22, as best seen in FIG. 4. The

outside of the slot is closed at the rear end of member 25 to form aperture 28 through which the spring arm extends. Thus the spring arm is well protected against damage during handling. Also, the cam surface 31 on the elongated coupling member 22 projects into the slot in member 25 so as to prevent relative rotation therebetween, and also slopes outwardly and rear? wardly to cooperate with the similarly disposed cam surface 32 of the spring arm.

Several features ofthe invention have been described in connection with-specific embodiments thereof. It will be understood that some features may be employed without using others, and that changes in detail may be made to suit the requirements of a given application or the judgment of the designer.

I claim:

1. Coupling retaining means for releasably retaining the coupling of a removable attachment to a hand appliance for body care having an output member, an outwardly extending detent member transversely spaced from the output member, and a control member slidably parallel to said output member and adapted to overlap said detent member in spaced relationship thereto, said removable attachment including a body portion having a working headtoward the front end thereof and an elongated coupling section at the rear end thereof adapted for coupling with said output member of the hand appliance, said coupling retaining means comprising a. a coupling retaining member slidably mounted on said elongated coupling section of the attachment for movement therealong,

b. said coupling retaining member including a spring arm extending longitudinally of said elongated coupling section with the rear end free for flexible movement outwardly from the elongated section,

c. a detent on the inner side of said free end of the spring arm for engaging said outwardly extending detent member of the hand appliance,

d. cooperating cam surfaces on said elongated coupling section and said spring arm, respectively, for moving said free end outwardly from the detent position thereof upon relative movement which increases the distance of the coupling retaining member from said working head,

e. and stop means on said attachment for limiting said relative movement,

f. the inner surface of said control member of the hand appliance and the outer surface of said spring arm of the attachment being designed and adapted to prevent disengagement of the detent from said detent member in a predetermined forward position of the control member.

2. Coupling retaining means in accordance with claim 1 in which said inner surface of the control member has an inward projection axially spaced from the front end thereof and adapted to overlap said free end of the spring arm in said forward position of the control member and prevent said disengagement of the detent.

3. Coupling retaining means in accordance with claim 1 in which said detent member of the hand appliance is an annular groove with an outwardly-extending lip and said detent on the free end of the spring arm of the attachment is an inwardly extending hook adapted to overlap said lip when in detent engagement therewith, said control member being adapted to overlap said free end of the spring arm in said forward position thereof, and the overlapping portion of the inner surface thereof being of rotational symmetry and closely adjacent the outer surface of said free end of the spring arm to prevent disengagement of said hook from said lip.

4. A removable attachment for a hand appliance for body care which comprises a. a body portion having a working head toward the front end and an elongated coupling section at the rear end thereof,

b. a coupling retaining member slidably mounted on said elongated coupling section for movement therealong,

c. said coupling retaining member including a spring arm extending longitudinally of said elongated coupling section with the rear end free for flexible movement outwardly from the elongated coupling section,

d. a detent on the inner side of said free end of the spring arm,

e, cooperating cam surfaces on said elongated coupling section and said spring arm, respectively, for moving said free end outwardly from the detent position thereof upon relative movement which increases the distance of the coupling retaining member from said working head,

g. and stop means for limiting said relative movement including a recess on the inner side of said spring arm and a projection on said elongated coupling section extending into said recess and adapted to abut against at least one end of said recess to provide a corresponding stop.

5. A removable attachment for a hand appliance for body care which comprises a. a body portion having a working head toward the front end and an elongated coupling section at the rear end thereof,

b. a coupling retaining member slidably mounted on said elongated coupling section for movement therealong,

c. said coupling retaining member including a spring arm extending longitudinally of said elongated coupling section with the rear end free for flexible movement outwardly from the elongated coupling section,

d. said coupling retaining member encircling said elongated coupling section and having a longitudinally extending slot between the walls of which said spring arm is located,

e. a detent on the inner side of said free end of the spring arm,

f. cooperating cam surfaces on said elongated coupling section and said spring arm, respectively, for moving said free end outwardly from the detent position thereof upon relative movement which increases the distance of the coupling retaining member from said working head,

g. said cam surfaces inclining outwardly and rearwardly from said elongated coupling section,

h. and stop means for limiting said relative movement.

6. An attachment in accordance with claim 4 in which said coupling retaining member encircles said elongated coupling section and has a longitudinallyextending slot between the walls of which said spring arm is located, said slot being open to said elongated coupling section and the outside thereof being closed at the rear end thereof to form an aperture through which said spring arm passes, the outer surface of said aperture being spaced from the spring arm in the forward position of the coupling retaining member with respect to said body portion, said cam surface on the elongated coupling section projects into said slot and inclines outwardly and rearwardly from the elongated coupling section, and said detent is an inwardly extending hook on said free end of the spring arm.

7. A removable attachment for a hand appliance for body care having an output member and an outwardly extending detent member transversely spaced from the output member, said attachment comprising a. a body portion having a working head toward the front end thereof and an elongated coupling section at the rear end thereof adapted for coupling with said output member of the hand appliance,

b. a coupling retaining member slidably mounted on said elongated coupling section for movement therealong,

c. said coupling retaining member including a spring arm extending longitudinally of said elongated coupling section with the rear end free for flexible movement outwardly from the elongated coupling section,

d. said coupling retaining member encircling said elongated coupling section and having a longitudinally extending slot between the walls of which said spring arm is located,

e. said slot being open to said elongated coupling section and the outside thereof being closed at the rear end thereof to form an aperture through which said spring arm passes,

f. the outer surface of said aperture being spaced from the spring arm in the forward position of the coupling retaining member with respect to said body portion,

g. a detent in the form of an inwardly-extending hook on the inner side of said free end of the spring arm for engaging said outwardly-extending detent member of the hand appliance,

tion,

j. and stop means for limiting said relative movement including a recess on the inner side of said spring arm and a projection on said elongated coupling section extending into said recess and adapted to abut against at least one end of said recess to provide a corresponding stop. 

1. Coupling retaining means for releasably retaining the coupling of a removable attachment to a hand appliance for body care having an outpuT member, an outwardly extending detent member transversely spaced from the output member, and a control member slidably parallel to said output member and adapted to overlap said detent member in spaced relationship thereto, said removable attachment including a body portion having a working head toward the front end thereof and an elongated coupling section at the rear end thereof adapted for coupling with said output member of the hand appliance, said coupling retaining means comprising a. a coupling retaining member slidably mounted on said elongated coupling section of the attachment for movement therealong, b. said coupling retaining member including a spring arm extending longitudinally of said elongated coupling section with the rear end free for flexible movement outwardly from the elongated section, c. a detent on the inner side of said free end of the spring arm for engaging said outwardly extending detent member of the hand appliance, d. cooperating cam surfaces on said elongated coupling section and said spring arm, respectively, for moving said free end outwardly from the detent position thereof upon relative movement which increases the distance of the coupling retaining member from said working head, e. and stop means on said attachment for limiting said relative movement, f. the inner surface of said control member of the hand appliance and the outer surface of said spring arm of the attachment being designed and adapted to prevent disengagement of the detent from said detent member in a predetermined forward position of the control member.
 2. Coupling retaining means in accordance with claim 1 in which said inner surface of the control member has an inward projection axially spaced from the front end thereof and adapted to overlap said free end of the spring arm in said forward position of the control member and prevent said disengagement of the detent.
 3. Coupling retaining means in accordance with claim 1 in which said detent member of the hand appliance is an annular groove with an outwardly-extending lip and said detent on the free end of the spring arm of the attachment is an inwardly extending hook adapted to overlap said lip when in detent engagement therewith, said control member being adapted to overlap said free end of the spring arm in said forward position thereof, and the overlapping portion of the inner surface thereof being of rotational symmetry and closely adjacent the outer surface of said free end of the spring arm to prevent disengagement of said hook from said lip.
 4. A removable attachment for a hand appliance for body care which comprises a. a body portion having a working head toward the front end and an elongated coupling section at the rear end thereof, b. a coupling retaining member slidably mounted on said elongated coupling section for movement therealong, c. said coupling retaining member including a spring arm extending longitudinally of said elongated coupling section with the rear end free for flexible movement outwardly from the elongated coupling section, d. a detent on the inner side of said free end of the spring arm, e. cooperating cam surfaces on said elongated coupling section and said spring arm, respectively, for moving said free end outwardly from the detent position thereof upon relative movement which increases the distance of the coupling retaining member from said working head, g. and stop means for limiting said relative movement including a recess on the inner side of said spring arm and a projection on said elongated coupling section extending into said recess and adapted to abut against at least one end of said recess to provide a corresponding stop.
 5. A removable attachment for a hand appliance for body care which comprises a. a body portion having a working head toward the front end and an elongated coupling section at the rear end thereof, b. a coupling retaining member slidably mounted on said elongated coupling seCtion for movement therealong, c. said coupling retaining member including a spring arm extending longitudinally of said elongated coupling section with the rear end free for flexible movement outwardly from the elongated coupling section, d. said coupling retaining member encircling said elongated coupling section and having a longitudinally extending slot between the walls of which said spring arm is located, e. a detent on the inner side of said free end of the spring arm, f. cooperating cam surfaces on said elongated coupling section and said spring arm, respectively, for moving said free end outwardly from the detent position thereof upon relative movement which increases the distance of the coupling retaining member from said working head, g. said cam surfaces inclining outwardly and rearwardly from said elongated coupling section, h. and stop means for limiting said relative movement.
 6. An attachment in accordance with claim 4 in which said coupling retaining member encircles said elongated coupling section and has a longitudinally-extending slot between the walls of which said spring arm is located, said slot being open to said elongated coupling section and the outside thereof being closed at the rear end thereof to form an aperture through which said spring arm passes, the outer surface of said aperture being spaced from the spring arm in the forward position of the coupling retaining member with respect to said body portion, said cam surface on the elongated coupling section projects into said slot and inclines outwardly and rearwardly from the elongated coupling section, and said detent is an inwardly extending hook on said free end of the spring arm.
 7. A removable attachment for a hand appliance for body care having an output member and an outwardly extending detent member transversely spaced from the output member, said attachment comprising a. a body portion having a working head toward the front end thereof and an elongated coupling section at the rear end thereof adapted for coupling with said output member of the hand appliance, b. a coupling retaining member slidably mounted on said elongated coupling section for movement therealong, c. said coupling retaining member including a spring arm extending longitudinally of said elongated coupling section with the rear end free for flexible movement outwardly from the elongated coupling section, d. said coupling retaining member encircling said elongated coupling section and having a longitudinally extending slot between the walls of which said spring arm is located, e. said slot being open to said elongated coupling section and the outside thereof being closed at the rear end thereof to form an aperture through which said spring arm passes, f. the outer surface of said aperture being spaced from the spring arm in the forward position of the coupling retaining member with respect to said body portion, g. a detent in the form of an inwardly-extending hook on the inner side of said free end of the spring arm for engaging said outwardly-extending detent member of the hand appliance, h. cooperating cam surfaces on said elongated coupling section and said spring arm, respectively, for moving said free end outwardly from the detent position thereof upon relative movement which increases the distance of the coupling retaining member from said working head, i. said cam surface on the elongated coupling section projecting into said slot and inclining outwardly and rearwardly from the elongated coupling section, j. and stop means for limiting said relative movement including a recess on the inner side of said spring arm and a projection on said elongated coupling section extending into said recess and adapted to abut against at least one end of said recess to provide a corresponding stop. 